Early in his first term of office, Franklin Delano Roosevelt moved to dismantle the disastrous Smoot-Hawley Act, a protectionist measure of 1930 which severely curtailed world trade and worsened the Great Depression. Almost throughout his presidency, FDR encouraged the reduction of trade barriers and the negotiation of a rules-based global economic system.

Unfortunately, the same protectionist urges that drove Smoot and Hawley have re-emerged on both the political Left and Right in 21st-century America. These trends, along with the revival of the anti-FDR, isolationist “America First” slogan, run contrary to – among other things – the interests of American business enterprises. The FDR Foundation is therefore pleased to co-sponsor the Boston E3 Conference on Harvard’s campus on September 20, 2017.

E3 conferences connect entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with global markets. E3 events are designed to provide SMEs with an intimate, in-depth opportunity to gain insights needed to navigate global growth, and engage with US and foreign trade officials. Topics include new markets, international trade policy, legal and tax implications of international business, growth industries in specific regions, etc.

Details on E3 Boston can be found here. We are grateful to the E3 team for making conference internships available to current students from any Harvard school who wish to participate. Interested students should contact Adrienne Palmer. Current Harvard College students may also apply to attend the conference as official guests of E3. These undergraduate guest postings are extremely limited; interested students should contact Jed Willard.